Khronos
Khronos is an upcoming role-playing game created by Ace High Software for the Nintendo Switch. Set in a fictionalized version of America, the game centers around a teenager who experiences premonitions of a world torn apart by rifts in the space-time continuum and his attempts to prevent his visions from occurring. His powers of chronal manipulation allow him to alter the course of history and potentially change the environment and people around him. The game will make use of the Switch's HD Rumble feature for certain events and its motion controls as an alternate option for controlling a character. Gameplay Khronos is a role-playing game which follows standard conventions of the genre save for two major exceptions. Firstly, the concept of the butterfly effect - which states "small causes can have larger effects" - is heavily prevalent throughout the main campaign as certain areas and NPCs may change drastically based on player actions; for example, the Area 52 internet café may burn to the ground due to the player character failing to convince an employee to turn off an oven. Secondly, combat is not contained in an arena separate from the overworld but instead utilizes the current area as a battleground similar to Chrono Trigger. Therefore any damage dealt to portions of the environment may invoke a reaction from onlookers, potentially getting characters thrown out of stores or facing police officers. As previously stated, time travel is another major gameplay focus with Kurt's chronal manipulation powers being usable both in and out of combat. He begins with the ability to reverse and accelerate time in short increments but is later able to freeze time and warp to a specific moment should the situation arise. Kurt's acts of chronal manipulation come with consequence, however, as the butterfly effect affects the future of both characters, regardless of their playability, and the world around him. This could cause former party members to become enemies or entire areas to change on a whim. Enemies are fought in the overworld with most battles initiated as a result of a previous negative interaction; animalistic enemies pose an exception to this as they may attack out of fear and be quelled by their owner or attack the player out of nature. Throughout each fight, currency and experience are rewarded as the party defeats certain enemies as opposed to after the battle concludes. Players can switch between any of the party members by pressing or during combat; when not controlled by the player, the party members are controlled by AIs which will automatically form a strategy based on the current situation. Non-playable characters may also intervene in battles, making for possibly hectic combat scenarios. Story The story of Khronos is told throughout three chapters - albeit referred to as "Discs" in-game - with all three focusing on Kurt, the game's main character. All three chapters have certain events which may alter the future and lead to drastically different outcomes. Disc 1 - "The Big Bang" Disc 1 begins with a dream sequence in which Kurt traverses a dystopian version of his hometown of White Hollow, searching for his friends and family. After seeing a strange pyramid-headed beast emerge from beneath his high school and attempt to kill him, Kurt jolts awake as his alarm clock rings. He leaves for his last day of junior year moments later, still attempting to grasp what he saw. On his way to school, Kurt chats with his friends Lexi and Harlan about his dream; Lexi dismisses it for "personal reasons" whereas Harlan speculates it could be a sign of things yet to occur. All three then experience odd events throughout their last day with Kurt and Harlan in particular spying hooded figures standing in a nearby park during their Biology class. Lexi remains skeptical towards what occurred thus Kurt convinces Harlan to join him in investigating the hooded figures who have appeared in the park that night. Upon approaching the park, Harlan is mysteriously trapped behind an invisible barrier while Kurt presses onward. The hooded figures notice Kurt coming towards them and react by attacking him with beams of cyan energy, knocking him unconscious in the process. When Kurt comes to, he finds himself in a barren, white landscape. A mysterious figure walks towards him and places an odd tattoo on his left arm before he jolts awake once more, this time in a hospital bed. He notices Lexi and a sleeping Harlan next to his bed and asks how long he's been out; Lexi responds with "at least two days". All three leave the hospital a few hours later and head for the Area 52 Internet Café, their favorite hangout spot. As they arrive, all three are set upon by a group of bullies lead by a senior named Rourke. He challenges them to a fight with the reward being their lives. Take on Rourke and his gang= Despite his condition, Kurt decides to fight Rourke and his gang alongside his friends. The ensuing fight leaves the alleyway full of injured gang members, broken beer bottles, and frightened cats. Harlan's legs are struck by Rourke's girlfriend Heather's hammer, paralyzing him. Lexi manages to call an ambulance and the police as some of Rourke's gang members caused damage to the café itself. The police arrive to arrest the gang members. |-| Try to be a pacifist= |-| Disc 2 - "Schrödinger's Cat" TBA. Disc 3 - "Theory of Relativity" TBA. Characters Main characters Kurt Kurt is the main protagonist of Khronos. Currently attending Thomas Newcomen High in White Hollow, Kurt has proven himself as a strong student academically with a desire to study the field of electrical engineering following graduation. Kurt has been described as someone who is very focused on a goal but recovers slowly from any missteps; he still regrets a mistake which lead to his lab partner - and ex-girlfriend - Lily being critically injured and unable to function normally. Outside of school, he currently works a part-time job at the Tell-Tales Bookstore as a general staff member and utilizes his employee discount to purchase both new and classic science-fiction novels. In battle, Kurt is a jack-of-all-trades save for his strong time travel abilities. These abilities can be used to screw with the opponent and set up combos with other party members. Kurt also has access to a set of brass knuckles his grandfather gave him along with whatever's in his backpack or lunchbox. Kurt is voiced by Blake Swift, who is best known for his music as well as Jaden Yuki in Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series and Alpha in Terrain of Magical Expertise. Lexi Often called the "Goth Chick of Thomas Newcomen High", Lexi appears to fit all the normal characteristics of a goth: dark hair, pale-skinned, and a deadpan snarker. This is merely a façade for Lexi's prowess as an author and as a student, planning to study literature in college. She does all of this in light of her family's status following the death of her brother and father while on a fishing trip; with her mother in a deep depression, Lexi has to provide for her, her younger brother, and herself all at once. Lexi appears to use her emotions as an actual weapon in-battle as she can incite onlookers to come to her aid by crying, boost her teammates' attack power with her anger, and increase speed when she's joyful. She can also summon her pet raven, Poe, who can retrieve items and peck at opponents. Lexi is voiced by Melissa Fahn, the voice of Gaz from Invader Zim. Harlan Harlan spends his time outside of school performing in local theater shows, stargazing, and investigating the unknown from the "comfort" of his bunker/treehouse. Despite being perceived as the fat kid amongst the student body, he knows more than he lets on about the world around him and is a rather skilled handyman. His obsession with both handiworking and the supernatural stems from his countless searches on Gizoogle and Roottalk for "alien communicators made from oakwood", his father, and the small group of friends he has. As a handyman and paranormal expert, Harlan uses normal tools - and anti-alien measures - as weaponry and to aid his team. He can assemble temporary armors and defenses with his saw, huck mounds of tinfoil at enemies, and boost accuracy with his compass. Harlan is voiced by George Salazar, recognized for his roles as Michael Mell in Be More Chill and Otto in the 2006 adaptation of Spring Awakening. Teritary characters Trivia *''Welcome to Night Vale'', Life is Strange, and the Scott Pilgrim series have all been cited as influences for the title. As such, references to all three are present throughout the game. *Initially, Lucien Dodge was set to voice Harlan. However, the game's producers found his voice too unfitting for Harlan's personality. Category:Role-Playing Games Category:Projects by Ace High Software Category:Nintendo Switch Games